A. K.
The Siberian who made heavyweights fly
- Born
- 1967
- Nationality
Russia- Height
- 193 cm (6′4″)
- Style
- Reverse-lift specialist
- Weight
- 130 kg
- Active
- 1986–2000
- Status
- Retired
The record
Senior-level record as cited by Wikipedia (win totals vary slightly by source); both losses were by one point, in the 1987 Soviet final and the 2000 Olympic final
3 Olympic golds + 1 silver; 9 world titles
The story
. K. wrestled at 130 kg from 1986 to 2000 and won Olympic gold in 1988, 1992 and 1996 under three different flags: the Soviet Union, the Unified Team and Russia. He also won nine world titles and twelve European titles. His trademark was the reverse body lift: when opponents lay flat on the mat to avoid being thrown, he peeled them off it, hoisted them into the air and threw them for maximum points, a move almost no heavyweight could manage. After a one-point loss at the 1987 Soviet championships he went 13 years without defeat and, for six of those years, without conceding a point. The run ended 1–0 against Rulon Gardner in the Sydney 2000 final. FILA later named him the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of the 20th century.
Tap a technique with an arrow to learn how it works.
- Olympic champion, 130 kg (1988, 1992, 1996)
- Olympic silver medallist (2000)
- World champion (1989–91, 1993–95, 1997–99)
- European champion 12 times (1988–96, 1998–2000)
- FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame, inaugural class (2003)
- Named greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of the 20th century by FILA
- FILA Golden Belt (1989, 1990, 1992, 1994)
- Hero of the Russian Federation (1996)
Defining matches
- 1988WINvs Rangel Gerovski (Olympic final, won with the reverse body lift)
- 1992WINvs Ioan Grigoraș (Olympics, pin in 14 seconds)
- 1996WINvs Matt Ghaffari (Olympic final, 1–0)
- 2000LOSSvs Rulon Gardner (Olympic final, 0–1; first defeat in 13 years)
Study the reverse body lift from par terre: lock your hands around the waist, get your hips below his and lift with your legs, not your back. A. K. showed that a flat, defensive opponent can still be lifted if your grip and hip position are right.
1980–1996
